5 Facts to Know about Email LIst Marketing and Spam Laws

 According to one 2011 study, every dollar spent on email marketing in that year had an estimated return on investment of over $40! However, that level of return is only achieved if the marketer plays by some specific rules. If you use or are thinking of using email to connect with and build relationships with your prospects and customers, then this blog is a must read. Due to the CAN-SPAM Act, most email list marketing messages are highly regulated to prevent consumers from receiving unwanted solicitations.

In 2003, the CAN-SPAM Act was signed into law under the presidency of George W. Bush. It outlines a few requirements for all online communications meant for a commercial purpose. The Act has requirements and regulations covering three specific areas of online marketing messages: the content of the message, the way in which those messages are sent, and the recipient’s ability to unsubscribe from such emails.

Content

Generally, your online communications can contain any text, graphic, video, or audio content that you like as protected by the First Ammendment. However, you must still comply with content requirements to establish the identity and authenticity of the sender. This includes an accurate From line, a subject line that is relevant to the content and is not deceptive, and a legitimate physical address of the publisher. In addition, any adult content must have an appropriate label.

Sending Behavior

In general messages cannot be sent through an open relay mail system, and cannot be sent to harvested or unsolicited email addresses. Additionally, the message must have at least one sentence and cannot be blank. It cannot have a false header, and it absolutely must have an unsubscribe option below the body of the message.

Unsubscribe Option

Every email your business sends must contain a visible and properly working unsubscribe mechanism. Any request to opt out of your email list must be honored by the 10^th business day since the date of the request.

These regulations exist not only to protect the individual consumer’s privacy, but also helps businesses ensure the quality of their messages and makes sure those messages are sent to the customers most likely to act on them. If you have any questions about how to optimize your email list marketing campaigns while complying with all legal regulations, contact ComarkDirect.com now to speak with professional email marketing consultant!

5 Content Ideas for Your Email Direct Marketing

When used properly, email direct marketing can be one of the best ways to nurture leads, effectively market to your key audience, stay relevant to past customers and possibly get more business from referrals. Here are some tips for effective email direct marketing campaigns:

1) Time your emails to follow or be the precursor to direct mail pieces. This will often heighten responsiveness from customers because of the mix of Internet and tangible marketing.

2) Offer rewards to customers for referral business. By not tapping into your email list as a resource for new business, you are depriving yourself of a very easy way to get new customers from your loyal happy ones. Word-of-mouth along with personal testimony is the most effective and powerful form of marketing, and by incentivizing your customers to refer you are simultaneously making those current or past customers happy, but also getting you new customers for a win-win situation that costs you very little in comparison to the new business drummed up!

3) Keep track of your competitors. What are they sharing in their newsletters? Try to see what they are doing that is effective, then do it better! If you can provide more insightful information than them, and become the subject matter expert, you will quickly develop the reputation as such, and gain a bigger following!

4) Time your emails right. Do not send too many, as that will more than likely earn you unsubscribed customers or a transfer to their spam folders. Also don’t drop off the face of the earth, if people forget about you it doesn’t do you much good. Your best bet is once or twice a week, tops.

5) Have relevant information. Having content that is useful for day-to-day life and business will encourage your customers to be looking forward to your next emails. Tips, case studies, and a concise format that will not overload your customers’ attention spans are the formula for success. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your customers what they would like to see from your emails!

 For more information on email direct marketing, go to http://comarkdirect.com/!